


Fort Granger-Malfoy

by SpuffyCarrie



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Baby Scorpius Malfoy, Canon Divergence - Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Complete, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Family Drama, House Elves, Married Life, Not Canon Compliant, POV Hermione Granger, POV Narcissa Black Malfoy, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Unspeakable Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 08:40:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23468554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpuffyCarrie/pseuds/SpuffyCarrie
Summary: Draco and Hermione are married and Scorpius is almost 2 years old. Hermione has been revisited by post war anxiety, is hiding it from everyone and struggling with motherhood. Things get so bad one day she decides to build a pillow fort.One of the prompts from my 1000 followers @scdramione which wasn't requested. I thought I'd write it anyway.Still using the artwork of the lovely @badwolfjedi <3
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Kudos: 100





	Fort Granger-Malfoy

Some days many of us would be happy to crawl under the covers and hide and this was one such day for me, Hermione Granger-Malfoy. Admittedly, life wasn't always easy being Draco's wife and there were some days I just wanted to come home to escape a world which wanted to know every intimate part of our lives. I'm not sure the wizarding world ever forgave me for marrying the man I fell in love with, purely because they considered him irredeemable of his past transgressions. They never gave us a chance.

Of course, even if I tried to escape the hounding of the paps, with our tiny son there was no way to escape, I had a responsibility to keep him safe and that didn't include hiding behind sleepy corners off Diagonal Alley, waiting for them to give up. 

A Prophet photographer tailed me through Diagon Alley with my buggy; the muggle contraption Draco passionately hated because he couldn't understand why I bothered when I could go shopping and leave Scorpius with the nursery elf. The guy had a crooked nose and beady eyes which watched my every move, he made me shudder under his attention, like someone crossing my grave. This morning was no different, I'd popped out for the latest book by Catriona Gregorovitch; Preparing Potions for Teething Children; and met the beady tosser as soon as I arrived. I even knew the guy’s name, Sniffer. It suited him as he was like a blood hound when it came to me. I tried to keep quiet and lose him, but Scorpius cried in pain with his tiny baby teeth from the moment we arrived, to the moment we left, no doubt every moment snapped by the creepy bloke.

I clutch the book in my hand, feeling my face heat as everyone stared at us as he lets out a barking cry. I know what they're thinking, 'Hermione Granger might be an accomplished witch but she can't even see to her own baby,' or 'She thinks so much of herself, she married Malfoy but she can't deal with their pureblood ways and that poor child is bearing the brunt.' It was what they always said when they thought I couldn't hear them, amongst other nasty barbs. 

Draco and I were strong at the beginning, although I knew it was never going to be easy for us. Harry and Gin always accepted us, as did the Weasleys. Ron didn’t like it at first, but he grew to accept us as a couple. More so, since he grew close to and then married Pansy, only then realising what we were up against. Pansy was always strong though, she sent people who spoke badly of them off with a flea in their ear, something I would have done once, but now felt too ground down by it all to respond at all.

Draco and I met again for the first time since the war in the Leaky Cauldron three years ago and after a few too many drinks we had the biggest row I'd ever had with anyone. Beginning over something stupid which I can't remember, it escalated into huge argument in front of everyone in the pub. I threw hurtful barbs and he took it; he took everything I said with a few choice words of his own, then he apologised on his knees for everything. 

That night was a turning point in the Malfoy-Granger shit show which had once been. Slowly we became friends and then one night, after a meal at my flat, he made a pass at me. It wasn't like I didn't want it, I did, he had become more than a sexy fantasy I'd think about at night, he and I were closer than anyone and it seemed stupid not to act on what could be the perfect relationship. After all, we were good together. We read the same things, talked about the same things, we challenged each other, and it was like a perfect fantasy romance until I forgot the potion one night and fell pregnant. We were both surprised as I was told I was unlikely to bear children due to Dolohov’s curse, but after the initial shock, we were ecstatic, and our little boy was always wanted. The pregnancy was easy and Narcissa and the Weasley's were incredibly supportive as they looked forward to the birth. I was fine through the first trimester but by the second, my pregnancy somehow triggered my fears from the war and an intense anxiety began to grip me like a foreboding shadow. I never told a soul, just plastered a smile on my face and carried on.

Scorpius wails as I slam the door to our town house and Mippy comes running, gripping her apron in her hands anxiously. "Mistress Hermione, let Mippy takes the baby, I's can give him the old remedy for his teeth's, he's then feeling much better, I's be promising." 

I don't want the old remedy for my boy, I want his life to be as Magic free as possible and that includes his food and medical treatment. Although Draco probably thinks it’s silly, he's supported every decision I made. I have a natural muggle herb rub and I know it’s not working, my baby's in pain and I’ve been too stubborn. I want to be the one to comfort and cure my son, to have some control over his upbringing in a world that thinks magic is the answer to everything. Now I want to cry because I'm worried, I've made the wrong decision about his care. He's the most gorgeous and beautiful boy, even when he cries, his smiles make me melt and when he reaches for me, I just want to gather him in my arms and cry at how amazing this child we've created is. 

Draco tried to have the elves take Scorpius at night from the beginning to allow me to rest but I fought him tooth and nail, I wanted my baby by my side. My husband went to work this morning; like every other morning; with black bags under his red rimmed eyes, yawning constantly after being awake most of the night. Isn't that how it's supposed to be? Aren't new Mothers and fathers supposed to experience this as part of their first step into child rearing? Naively I thought it would bring us all closer. It's what I know, it's what my parents told me they did, and I wanted that link with them because they were gone. Of course, once Draco told me about his upbringing, I felt the need to keep us all close for his sake too, to give him something he'd never experienced before, the tenderness of caring for your child's every need. Now I wonder if I've made a mistake, they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions, don't they?

I deflate, I'm so tired I just give in and allow Mippy to take Scorpius for a nap. My shoulders sag as I think I'm the worst mother in the world. We bought the house because of its four floors and the proximity to the Ministry, where Draco works as an Unspeakable. It meant the lower floors were suitable for company and we could huddle up on the top floor cocooned in our family rooms, the nursery and an en-suite beside it, along with French doors leading out onto the roof garden I'd been tending lovingly. My herbs and magical plants have dried up now as I'm too exhausted to tend to them, drooping sadly, not unlike myself. 

Draco's never complained about sharing our room with Scorpius and he sees to him as much as I do, that was until the screaming started. When I found Draco comatose and curled up in Scorpius's cot along with him one morning, his gangly legs hanging over the end and the tiny boy asleep on his chest, I realised how much it was taking a toll on him. I gave up work at the Ministry for my maternity leave months before Scorps birth and yet Draco soldiers on, never missing a day of work. I know he wants to be trusted, to be trustworthy, he wants to build a reputation as someone to be relied upon. We have enough money in the vaults for Draco and possibly most of the wizarding world to never need work again, but Draco's rebuilding our family name and I think I've been as supportive a wife as it was possible to be. Although, now I think about it I worry I'm not at all, that I'm asking too much of him.

Perhaps I’m not organised enough or didn't do enough? and I’ve had no excuse, not when we've had offers of help. Narcissa only visited for tea yesterday and asked if I'd like her to take her grandson for the night to give us time together. Like an idiot I refused because I didn't want my baby staying at the Manor. It was just a house now Lucius had revived the kiss and she'd remodelled the whole place to the point I hardly recognised it when I first visited. I know she's lonely and Scorpius would be cared for like a prince, but the thought of him sleeping in the place I was tortured gives me the willies. I'm grateful for her, I truly am, she loves our little boy so much, but something holds me back and I know it's me, I crave control and I hate myself for it.

Nobody seems to understand what it's like to be me and I saw Mippy wringing her hands as my boy screamed, she probably feels as useless as I do because I wouldn't let her help. That's why I gave in, and from exhaustion, I don't want to fight them anymore. Perhaps she understands how hard things can be with a little one, as Draco's one-time nanny. It's just the thought of her caring for him when I should be terrifies me, like if I let go of him and admit I can't cope that they'll call me a bad mother and take him away from me. 

Running up the stairs I hold it all in, my stomach coiling violently, and as I reach our bedroom it bursts forth like a tsunami. I'm sobbing as I reach for the blanket in our bed, pulling it over my head. It smells of Draco's aftershave and I miss him. I wonder if he thinks I only smell of the milk I once breast fed our son with and the baby talc I've used as he got older and now is weaned, like a dowdy mother. Why can't I be a confident, fashionable mother like Ginny or even Pansy who turn up regularly with their brood in tow? They chat and gossip while their children are chaotically screaming and running around them. They talk about the next time they can have a babysitter or when Molly will take the kids for a sleepover so they can get some well-earned sleep and get shagged until their eyes pop out. I can't help but feel jealous and I know Molly would jump at the chance to do the same for us. What does it say about me that I wouldn't trust even a woman who brought up seven kids, including Fred and George, which must have been hellish at times? Everything seems so hard for me; I laugh along with them, but it seems to take such an effort. I can't tell Harry as I’m concerned, he'll become worried I've made the wrong decision in marrying Draco. He always blames Draco for every frown or complaint and honestly, I'm sick of it. Draco is everything I could have ever wanted in a man. He's sweet, kind and romantic, so far removed from the boy I once knew, it's almost like he's a different person. 

Being cocooned underneath the blanket reminds me of my childhood.

"You have to prop the cushions just like this sweetheart. Then if you drape it just right it covers the fort and you can crawl right inside the gap." My dad used to say, laughing as I giggled and pulled him inside our creation.

"Daddy, you're so silly." I’d tell him. 

"Honestly, how are you two going to drink your hot chocolate in there" My mother would peek her head in, holding a tray with the drinks in her hands.

"We'll be careful mummy." I mutter to myself, remembering her like it was yesterday when she crawled inside, giggling as she passed us huge mugs of the warming drink with whipped cream and marshmallows. She always seemed so confident as a mother, always knew the right things to do or say when I was upset. I wish she was here to tell me what to do.

I always felt safe in my parent’s arms. I was Hermione Granger, daughter, not the Golden Girl or Harry Potters friend, I was just me. They've been gone a long time and I feel their loss keenly, especially since Scorpius was born. The only person who ever made me feel safe in the same way is Draco because he knows everything there is to know about me. Harry was once the only person I could say that about but we're no longer children and it was never possible to remain as close as we once were. A divide grows once you marry and become adults, I hate how innocent friendship can be misconstrued so easily. I know Draco and Ginny wouldn't mind if I hugged him more than usual, but I know it would be weird if I kept doing it. 

I crave safety and throw the blanket off, beginning to gather pillows, blankets and the duvet, dragging them to the lounge off our bedroom. I'd insisted, when we moved in, that it was comfortable and chose a huge plum sofa, warm tones and a rose wood bookshelves and other furnishings, a contrast with the sleek white parlour we had on the first floor with hard furniture tantamount to torture devices. Heaving the large seat cushions, I created a fort, covering it with blankets and throwing pillows inside. I Accio'd some hot chocolate and fruit, plus the book I bought today and holed up inside lying on my on my back, using my wand to create a string of dancing fairy lights inside. I feel comfortable and protected in here and I begin to relax. 

Hours later the sun goes down and I hear my favourite song from my one guilty pleasure, Dirty Dancing. 

"I've been meaning to tell you; I've got this feeling that won’t subside. I look at you and I fantasise..."

"What the fuck are you doing?” Draco opens the flap and looks inside. 

His voice startles me, and I pause with a blanket in my hands. He looks as tired as I feel and sounds harsher than he probably meant.

"I’ve built a pillow fort.” I hope he understands such a silly folly. 

"What are we, five?” He grins, sitting on his haunches is the gap to the fort. "Our boy is comatose in Mippy’s room. She said you didn't have a good day." 

"I needed a break. I'm exhausted." I say nervously. Draco's never been anything but supportive, but I worry he'll think I'm a bad mother, living it up in a childish pillow fort while another cares for our child.

"I put on your favourite song." He reaches out and trails his fingertips over my cheek.

"You did that?" I ask, surprised. "Even when our baby is being cared for by Mippy?" 

"Why wouldn't I? Contrary to popular belief, you're not a failure if you need some time away from Scorpius, my princess. This is a trying time while he's crying constantly. If you didn't have some time to yourself it might drive, you crazy. Fuck, I have to admit I almost hear our boy crying when I'm at work, he's ingrained himself in my mind. Babies cry, sweetheart, you told me that before he was born, when we agreed to do this the muggle way. Did I not say I'd tell you if I thought we were choosing the wrong path?"

"I-I just needed space." I stutter. All I want is a cuddle, to be told I'm doing things right, but I don't want to ask. I know a can of worms could easily be opened by me asking him directly and I'm afraid of his answer.

"So, does that mean you don’t want me to join you?" He grabs another blanket and eases himself inside, not waiting for my reply. "Scorp being cared for by our elf doesn't bother you now? You've been a little tetchy about it for some time." Draco queried carefully. 

His entering rocks the forts foundations, causing one side to wobble precariously.

"Of course, it does, I don't want to be away from him." I slam a hand up to push one of the larger pillows into place again. 

"What? So, you think having you to myself for the first time in months means we're bad parents?" He moves closer and clutches me gently by the upper shoulders. "Do you think Scorpius will think less of us because we shared a few stolen moments alone when he was a baby? He needs to learn what love is and who will teach him other than us? We're the ones who created him with our love." His beautiful grey eyes pierce mine in the twinkling light. He seems to have remained himself all through this, while I've lost myself. I realise somewhere along the line I forgot who I am, I got lost in the cacophony of nappies, night feeds and screaming and forgot about us, the reason this all began. I love him, I love him so much I don't think I could bear to live without him. 

His eyes are dark and focused on me, they remind me of why we did this, made our boy, our everything. I’m always reminded I'm Draco's dearest love, he never lets me forget it. When Scorpius was born, he told me he loved me every day until he was too tired to say it and I too tired to hear it. We forgot each other for a moment or maybe I forgot to hear.

"Now I've got you in my sights, with these hungry eyes."

I drop a pillow on the floor as I look at him. He's just so gorgeous I don't notice as the fort begins to sway. 

"Oh, for Merlin’s sake, move over, you’ve done it wrong!” He moves to my side and bumps my hip with his, attempting to stop the whole thing falling in on us as I giggle. He secures the side cushion and crawls outside. 

"What are you going?" I call.

Returning with the mattress from our bed, he uses magic to fit it inside, lifting me momentarily from the floor as it slides beneath me. "What are you doing?" 

"Isn't it obvious?" He risks.

"But how will we both fit under here?"

The structure seems more secure as he mutters something, and the space suddenly seems bigger. 

"Sometimes, my dearest darling, I wonder if you remember you're a witch at all." Crawling back inside the comfy fort is now perfect as he takes me in his arms. "I want to make sweet love to my wife." His voice has a grave led edge to it I haven't heard in some time.

"One look at you and I can't disguise."

"Oh, I..." I feel flustered in both a good and bad way. 

He turns trails a finger over my décolletage causing me to shiver deliciously. "Shall I put the mattress back?"

"N-no, um.... I want you too, but the baby..."

"The baby is fine, he's toddling now, he needs time away from us to learn to stand on his own two feet, we can't be there all the time and Mippy will take excellent care of him, princess."

I begin to sob. "I'm a terrible mother!" I wail and rush to hide under the blanket.

"What's this? The mother of my child telling me she can't do motherhood when she's always been amazing? I'm not sure I can believe it." Draco crawls closer, tugging the blanket aside and hugging me to his chest.

"Mippy has given him a infants version of dreamless sleep and he's sparko. So, why don't you tell me what this is all about?"

"I can’t, Draco, I'm so frightened of everything. Scared every choice I make is wrong. I'm worried you might think I’m not fit to care for our son if I tell you." I choke on a sob.

He sighed, "Never. You must know I would never think that. Merlin, you're the most capable witch I've ever met." He whispered, his honeyed voice caressing my ear. 

"I'm afraid of everything Draco, and the Prophet follow me everywhere I go with our son. I feel like I'm losing my mind." I clutch his robes. 

He gently places his hands on my face, his thumbs caressing my cheekbones. "Why didn't you tell me it was getting to you like this? I will arrange for mother to visit their offices tomorrow and give them what for."

"Because I should be able to protect our son!" I shout. Draco is startled but he pulls me closer. "I want to Avada the sneaky git every time I see him. I want to do it to anyone who says anything about us." I clench my fists. 

He sighs. "Pansy warned me things weren't right with you, she was worried, and I told her things were fine." 

"I love her, but that was bloody sneaky of her." I sniff, I can't help feeling a little betrayed by the woman I've come to think of as a friend.

"Did you know Weasley gets up in the night too? He does what I do, settles their kids and still goes to work at ridiculous o' clock in the morning." He clutches my hands, "strangely, we've been chatting on the case we've both been working on, he said he feels like a zombie most days too, but he loves it, as do I." He kisses my knuckles. "I wouldn't have that time with Scorpius otherwise. I hoped I was helping you, I hoped you might get some rest because I know going to work is not as hard as spending all day with a teething tot. Godrick, Hermione, that night I fell asleep with him in his cot was one of the best nights of my life, it felt so right just holding our boy in my arms, feeling his heartbeat against mine." Adjusting himself he settled his head on my chest. "I know things are hard but if you don't tell me what's wrong then I can't help you, princess." 

Knowing Ron does the same soothes me, especially as the Weasley-Parkinson's chose to live in Parkinson Manor and I know Pansy isn't all about getting her nails done nowadays, although her hair is still cut as sharply as ever. I wish I'd spoken more to my newer friend; she might have been able to cast some clarity on my feelings. I make a point to do it tomorrow. I feel Draco's heartbeat against mine and I stroke my fingers over the buttons of his shirt at his lower belly. He's warm and the fort is stuffy. My lashes flutter closed momentarily.

Draco tries to be quiet as he settles beside me, but he wakes me as he shifts.

"You snore like a mountain troll, princess." He chuckled, "I think you may have woken yourself up."

I slap him and smile. I hadn't realised I'd even conked out; I was so knackered. 

"That's better princess, you don't smile half as much as I'd like nowadays. A bloke might think it was his fault, you know?" He laces his fingers through mine.

I frown. "It's not you, never you. This one is all on me as I've never asked for help."

"I gathered you were unhappy, but gentle probing wasn't working and I know you, Hermione Malfoy, asking outright makes you crawl right back inside that noggin of yours and mull it over until you drive yourself mad. So, are you going to tell me what's wrong, and don't try to deny you've been wound tighter than a Niffler with his eyes on the Crown Jewels.”?

So, this was what my life had come to? Admitting to my husband I feel totally inadequate, a hopeless mother and wife. "Perhaps I was never meant to be a mother, a wife even, perhaps I was just meant to be like Headmistress McGonagall; a spinster who's dedicated her life to one thing."

A shadow crosses his face and I know I've hurt him. 

"No, there's more to it than that. You know that's not you; I know you'd give your life for that boy." He tangles his fingers in my curls, thumbing my earlobe.

"For you too." I whisper cupping his face with my hands. "I..." tears spring to my eyes. "I don't know, because..." I heave a huge sob and Draco pulls me close, all the feelings inside me seemed to erupt all at once and I begin babbling everything in a rush as he pulls out his hanky and mops up my tears. 

"Hey, come on, this isn't like you, it sounds like you've been overthinking and not talking to me. I admit I've been really worried about you, mother too. She told me she was concerned you might have a form of latent postnatal depression. Do you think that's what this might be?" 

"I don't know." And I truly don't, all I know is I feel like I'm going mad. "I want to give you an answer, but I can only she tell you something changed for me when I was pregnant with Scorp. The feelings of terror came back, like they were in those first months after the war. I took for granted that I'd gotten over it when we met, and I felt better. Now, I feel fearful all the time, and any hope or happiness I had seems to have packed its bags and left. "

He hugs me close, so tightly I can feel his emotion.

"Would you allow me to make a suggestion?" He asks gently, I suppose for fear of spooking me.

I nod, I'm looking for an answer I'm unable to find myself after all.

"Let’s book a holiday, I've got some leave due and I'm going to take a full month, we could go to the Malfoy estate in Brittany, it has its own private beach. While we're there Mippy and mother can spend time with Scorpius..."

I begin to protest, but he places his finger over my lips.

"Just hear me out, please. They will care for him while we spend time together and you see a mind healer I know. He's the best, Theodore Nott."

"No, I couldn't! Theo would know everything and he's our friend." I protest. "How can I tell him about...this?" I wave my hand at the fort I'm currently hiding inside; I know this will sound like the weirdest thing anyone has ever done to someone Theo.

He nods, "I thought you might feel more at ease with him. The choice is yours though, we can hire a stranger, but Theo has helped half the wizarding world with post war stress reactions. He specialises in those who've been tortured." His eyes drop and I know that day in the Manor is revisiting him once more.

I'm still unconvinced and Draco lifts his chin and passes his hand through the air before us. 

"Picture this, sweetheart. A white cabana in the blazing sunshine, the sea lapping the shore yards away, you relaxing amid huge pillows with our son on the beach with either me or my mother, laughing and playing in the distance. Sitting there discussing your problems in a relaxed place. Bloody hell, you could be sipping a cocktail." He gets up onto his knees. "I know my minds wandering a bit but think of us making love on the beach under the stars, or spending time as a family. How does that sound? It'll keep the vultures at bay until you feel more like yourself and I know Theo would portkey in for your sessions."

It does sound nice, more than nice, lovely. I know I need to do something about this, or it'll bleed into every aspect of my life and I'll never get it back. I don't want to be afraid anymore. “Okay. We'll arrange it tomorrow." 

He smiles and kisses the crown of my head. "So then, what shall we do in our little fort? Make love or get some food and stuff our faces? I must say I'm starving and might need a little fuel if you want to shag each other senseless." He chuckles. 

"Food, sleep and then making love." I give him a watery smile as he grabs his wand. Several plates of finger food and a bottle of chilled champagne floated inside. Sometimes I remember how much I adore magic. Draco fed me a smoked salmon sandwich and kissed me sweetly on the lips once I took a bite. The wizard must truly love me to kiss me after a fishy sandwich. 

"Having you and our son is a dream I never thought I'd have, Hermione. You know I'd give up work if you needed me at home." He says earnestly, taking a swig of champagne. "I'd do anything for you."

"Draco, no, I would never ask that of you, you have your career and it makes you happy. I'd never take that away from you. Just give me the chance to get back to myself, that's all I ask." 

We ate our fill and fell asleep before any lovemaking occurred. I still felt so content, I'd been able to share the load I'd been carrying for almost 2 years and wrapped in his arms I remembered who I was for a moment. The feel of his hard body spooning mine, the security of his leg thrown over mine, the fine hairs of his legs tickling mine. His arm wrapped around my sternum, underneath my breasts. As I drifted off, I felt lighter than I had in years. "Thank you, I love you." I murmured as I fell into a good dream for once. 

......

I arrived later that night following a fire call from Draco while Hermione slept. He explained a bit about the situation to me and I settled into the nursery with Scorpius, under the watchful eye of Mippy after making arrangements for the trip to France. 

Scorpius had a good night and was full of beans the next morning. "Nana?" He seemed confused to see me but then excited, giving me sweet kisses and touching my face with pudgy hands.

"Mama? Dada? He queried. His little body struggled to get down from the bed and he ran across the room. He called for them again from his place at the door, pouting as he heard no reply. 

I didn't want to disturb my son and his wife, but I was eager to impart the news that we would be leaving later that day for Brittany, so Scorpius and I crept through to the lounge hand in hand. I struggled not to laugh as he kept his tiny finger to his mouth, shushing me. I had to say I was surprised to find some kind of hastily put together tent made from their bedding. I can see my son’s feet poking out from inside and discarded platters and an empty champagne bottle lying on the floor. They're snoring, both of them, and I cover my mouth with my hand, sniggering. I wonder how long it's been since I've had such fun, probably when Draco was as small as Scorpius and we'd play hide and seek. Draco was terrible at it, always choosing the same place behind the curtains, I could always see his tiny feet under the drapes. 

Scorpius looked as flummoxed by the makeshift erection as I probably do. I lift Scorpius to my hip, and he touches my cheek, shrugging his shoulders in the most adorable way. "No mama, dada?" 

I whisper in his ear, to tell him to go inside and see who is there. Scorpius nods with a beaming smile. I set him down and speak out loud. "I hope you two are decent as your son is coming in." I hear a joint groan as they wake.

Scorpius looks at the strange construction and touches his father’s feet. "Nana?" He shrugs once more.

I can hear murmuring inside, then Draco speaks and Scorpius giggles.

"I wonder who it could be at the door? Is it a little bowtruckle? He must be bigger than usual to make such a racket."

Narcissa watched her beautiful grandson shake his head, suckling on his thumb.

"Hmm. Could it be a baby dragon?" Draco asked again.

Scorpius giggled and launched himself through the makeshift curtains. "Roar!" He yelled, "Dagon daddy!" 

"My baby Dragon!" Draco called happily and Narcissa saw the construction shake as Hermione burst out laughing for the first time in a long time, she heard smacking kisses and love being given to the child inside.

Walking away, she wiped a tear from her eye. Somehow, she knew their holiday would be the answer to her every wish for her son’s little family. She'd been so worried for Hermione, she'd had a difficult time of things and she'd wanted to tell her she understood, to tell her she'd had a hard time with the birth of Draco but the opportunity had never presented itself. 

Hermione poked her head out from inside their fort. "Now this is too good of an opportunity to miss, Narcissa. Come on in," she waved to her mother in law to come into the fort, "Draco is about to get us some breakfast. Surely you couldn't miss the chance of seeing Scorpius' face. He's loving this. Grab your camera and join us? And bring Mippy, she'd love this too."

As Hermione looked around at her family inside her protective bubble, she realised how much love was squeezed into such a small space and the grins on their faces made her want to cry again but in a good way.

She knew she would become herself again, because one night in her pillow fort with the love of her life made her realise something. What she had needed was there all along. She might have a way to go before she felt better in herself, but people were there for her and if she let them, they always would be. 


End file.
